Machines, such as excavators, are used in a wide variety of applications including construction, mining, road building, and trenching. In each application, an excavator uses a bucket to penetrate into material in a pile or a work surface such as the ground to scoop the material, and subsequently dump it in a desired location. The bucket is a key component in efficiently performing a desired operation.
While performing a material moving or digging operation, the buckets are subjected to extreme loads and wear. In addition to withstanding significant loads, a bucket must also be constructed to endure a desired number of cycles or hours of operation. If a bucket fails, in addition to the cost to repair or replace the bucket, the failure may result in lost productivity. Increasing the thickness of the various components of the bucket may increase the life of the bucket but may also adversely impact the capacity of the bucket due to an increase in the weight of the bucket.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,069,593 discloses a bucket for an excavator in which a hinge plate assembly includes a pair of hinge plates with a somewhat V-shaped top plate and a linear bottom plate that are interconnected to form a torque tube. A rib may extend between the hinge plates along the bottom plate to add stiffness to the torque tube. In addition, a rib may extend between one of the hinge plates and an adjacent side bar to further add stiffness to the torque tube.
The foregoing background discussion is intended solely to aid the reader. It is not intended to limit the innovations described herein, nor to limit or expand the prior art discussed. Thus, the foregoing discussion should not be taken to indicate that any particular element of a prior system is unsuitable for use with the innovations described herein, nor is it intended to indicate that any element is essential in implementing the innovations described herein. The implementations and application of the innovations described herein are defined by the appended claims.